Ileana was born with Spina Bifida Occulta, a congenital defect of the sacral area, which make her experience pain since childhood. Ileana grew up in the projects of Mexico City’s periferia, where artistic practice is scarce. Despite this fact, she was always fascinated by the arts and drew obsessively since she was a toddler. Later she learned music, singing and fashion design. Not being able to enroll in art school for economic reasons, Ileana studied Graphic Design instead, specializing in illustration, at the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM). After her studies, Ileana worked professionally for more than a decade as an art director in advertising agencies, while running a musical project called Smurphy, where she released several critically acclaimed albums and played electronic music shows and festivals. In late 2020, after a period of several years of physical rehabilitation (due to health complications related to her spinal defect), Ileana gave up on graphic design and music. The long hours of sitting, working on computers and DJing affected her health negatively. Feeling deeply lost, she took a ceramic workshop for beginners and while working with the clay she realized her passion for painting, a dream she had previously not thought possible. Ileana then decided to dedicate her life to make art, which has helped greatly in coping with her health condition and has given her purpose in life.